The subject matter herein relates generally to devices configured to singulate wires from a wire bundle.
Many electrical systems utilize electrical leads to electrically connect electrical components or devices. Electrical leads are typically produced by cutting a segment of wire, stripping one or both ends of the wire, and then crimping a terminal to one or both ends of the wire segment. Known lead-making operations have different levels of automation depending on cost and complexity of the machinery. For example, in a semi-automatic bench machine, a human operator presents wires one at a time to a terminator that crimps a terminal on the end of the wire. In another example, some lead-maker machines are fully automated such that wire is automatically pulled from spools, cut to length, and presented to a specific terminator to receive a pre-selected terminal.
Both types of operations have recognized problems or shortcomings. With the semi-automatic bench machine, for example, the operator has to pull each individual wire from a bundle of wires that may include two hundred wires or more and present each wire to the terminator. The bench machine thus requires significant human intervention to separate or singulate wires from the wire bundle, which limits the efficiency and productivity of the lead-making operation and also requires the expense for operator compensation. The fully-automated lead-maker machines do not require the level of human intervention as the bench machines for singulating wires from a wire bundle, but the lead-maker machines are typically much more complex and expensive than bench machines. For example, a fully-automated lead-maker may be an order of magnitude more costly than a bench machine, so the cost may be prohibitive. A need remains for a wire terminating device that automatically singulates wires from a bundle, is more automated than known bench machines, and is not as complex or expensive as fully-automated lead makers.